How A Sugar Cube Can Save Your Fresh Baked Cookies

There are only a few things more disappointing than biting into a cookie that looks soft and chewy, just to find it's gone dry and hard overnight. If you've ever baked a perfect batch only to have it lose its magic by the next day, you're not alone. Unfortunately, you might not be able to enjoy all your cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. There is, however, an easy trick that will keep them from going stale as quickly, and this time, you don't have to use sliced bread to keep cookies from going stale. Instead, there's a tiny and overlooked substitute sitting in your pantry: a sugar cube.

Sugar cubes may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about rescuing your baked treats. They're usually plopped into tea rather than placed next to chocolate chip cookies. But here's the trick: They can help absorb extra moisture in the air, whether from the surrounding air or what's leftover in an airtight container. That's why they're so useful here.

If you leave a sugar cube in an airtight container with your cookies, it acts as a mini humidity buffer. Instead of your cookies getting soggy or turning stale due to condensation or environmental moisture, the sugar cube takes on some of that load. You'll be left with cookies that retain their texture longer without needing any special packaging.

Now, to be clear: sugar cubes don't keep cookies from going stale indefinitely. They're not magic. What they do is slow down the staling process by reducing excess humidity inside the container. This is particularly helpful if you live in a humid climate or if your kitchen is subject to temperature fluctuations. The sugar cube acts a bit like a low-level drier. Sure, it's not nearly as effective as those "do not eat" silica packets, but it is food-safe.

And that's it. Just place one, two, or a few sugar cubes in your airtight container with your cookies (preferably not touching the cookies if possible), seal it up, and store as normal. It works for homemade cookies, and even if you want to freeze store-bought cookies, this little hack works effectively as well. You can also reuse the same cube for multiple batches, as long as they don't dissolve or get sticky. If your cubes are ever damp or start to break down, simply replace them.

This trick is particularly handy around holidays or when planning parties, when you're baking ahead and want everything to taste its best. It's also a great way to keep those delicate shortbread or molasses cookies from turning into bricks or developing weird moisture spots by day two. Now, you don't need a gadget or a chemical additive to help keep your cookies fresh longer.